A multi-national company is seeking a High Court injunction against a former employee who has waged a campaign of threats and intimidation since being sacked.

Diesel engines company Cummins, in Yarm Road, Darlington, has applied for an order banning Susan Chen from contacting former workmates.

The company took the step after Ms Chen threatened to kill plant manager David Womersley by bombing his house, cursed the child of another employee and told someone else she was "dead meat".

It is also claimed she harassed members of staff and sent abusive and distressing e-mails to the company's customers and other colleagues.

The company applied to the High Court, in London, for an injunction banning Ms Chen from carrying out further harassment.

It has joined forces with Mr Womersley and fellow employees Jacquie Smith and Ami Sanghera to obtain a writ from the court by using the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act.

The workers want the injunction to protect themselves and eight other named employees.

In March, Ms Chen, 43, took the company to an industrial tribunal claming she had been unfairly dismissed and that she was a victim of racial discrimination.

A copy of the civil writ, issued by Hammonds Solicitors, claims Ms Chen made a number of threats at one of the tribunal hearings in Newcastle.

It states that on May 8, at the conclusion of the tribunal, she made threats against David Womersley, saying: "I know where he lives, I will f***ing bomb his house, I will kill him for what he has done."

Ms Chen is also alleged to have told Ms Smith: "You will never see your newborn baby. I will f***ing kill you for this, your baby is cursed, it will die if I have it cursed."

The writ, lodged at the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court, also states that on May 2, Ms Chen told Ms Sanghera she would be "dead meat".

The other employees seeking protection in the writ are Michael Peacock, Michael McCabe, Michael McBride, Leslie Grainger, Gary Strictland, David Spachman, Lisa Thornton and Alison Walker.

A spokesman for Cummins said last night that the application to the court was made to protect employees.

He said the company did not want to comment on the case because it was still awaiting judgement from the employment tribunal.

Ms Chen, now of Dechmont Broxburn, West Lothian, arrived in England in March 2003 and was employed by Cummins on £25,000 a year.

She was dismissed from her job on September 15, 2004, after 14 months on the grounds of failure to follow reasonable instructions and insubordination amounting to serious misconduct.

At the industrial tribunal, Ms Chen said her dismissal was a cover-up.

She alleged she was subjected to hostility, intimidation, harassment and less favourable treatment on the grounds of her race.

She also claimed other workers mocked her dress sense - particularly her short skirts.

Cummins Engine Company rejected all the allegations.

It said the subject of her dress sense was raised in a professional manner and a supervisor raised the issue three times verbally and confirmed the company's expectations in writing after previous requests were ignored.